Method and means for producing variable yarn



April 23, 1963 w. R. KEEN ETAL METHOD AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING VARIABLE YARN 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 21. 1961 1N VENTORS April 23, 1963 w. R. KEEN ETAL 3, 7

METHOD AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING VARIABLE YARN Filed Aug. 21, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY @J# @J A ril 23, 1963 METHOD AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING VARIABLE YARN Filed Aug. 21, 1961 W. R. KEEN ETAL 1B 11 16 E r 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 A 7' TOEJVEVS.

United States Patent 3,086,347 METHOD AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING VARIABLE YARN William Rollin Keen, Media, Pa., and Royal C. Harris,

Leonard W. Morton, and William T. Satterfield, l\ lorwood, N.C., assignors to Collins 8: Aiken Corporation,

New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 132,711

Claims. (Cl. 57-383) This invention relates to a variable yarn and to the method of and apparatus for producing such yarn.

The term variable yarn is here used to describe a yarn which varies in content lengthwise along the yarn. Such variation will usually be in the fiber make-up or composition of the yarn, but the variation may be merely in the quantity of fibers. Or, the variation may be merely in the color of the fibers, the fiber content being otherwise the same.

By the means and the method of the present invention, yarn of two-tone, multi-tone, or completely random color effects may be produced. Or the yarn may merely vary in thickness. Or, it may vary in both tone and thickness.

The object of the present invention is to produce a variable yarn by a novel and relatively simple method and apparatus.

Another object is to provide a yarn having at least two-tone color effects, and to provide a novel method and apparatus for producing such yarn.

A further object is to provide yarn having a completely random color effect, and to provide a novel method and apparatus for producing such yarn.

A still further object is to produce a yarn which varies in thickness and to provide a novel method and means for producing such yarn.

These objects are achieved by employing at least one roving, usually two rovings, and drafting such roving or rovings on drafting mechanism which includes a pair of cone-shaped back drafting rolls through the nip of which the roving or rovings are drawn by conventional front delivery rolls while at the same time the roving or rovings are moved transversely of the nip of the coneshaped back rolls in back and forth manner. Where two rovings are involved, each roving is moved back and forth transversely of the nip of the cone back rolls, the transverse movement of one roving being out of phase, for example, 180 out of phase, with that of the other.

Where two rovings are used, one roving may be comprised of fibers which dye differently from the fibers of which the other roving is comprised. For example, one roving may be comprised of viscose fibers while the other roving is comprised of acetate fibers. Or, the two rovings may be comprised of the same fibers which, prior to drafting on the apparatus provided by this inven tion, have been differently dyed.

While the description which follows will describe the drafting of one roving, or the drafting and blending of two rovings, on the apparatus of the present invention, it should be understood that the invention is not neces sarily limited to two rovings, it being readily apparent that the principle employed may be used to handle three or more rovings, if desired. Ordinarily, however, not more than two rovings would be drafted and blended to produce the variable yarn.

The present invention will best be understood from a consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away and partly in section, illustrating a portion of a drafting 3,986,347 Patented Apr. 23, 1963 or spinning frame incorporating the improvement of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drafting or spinning frame of FIG. 1 but showing also a portion of the reciprocating traverse means;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are top and side elevational views respectively of the reciprocating traverse mechanism of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the truncated cone back rolls as seen along the line VV in FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing the relative positions of two rovings in the nip of the cone rolls at a particular assumed instant;

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a cam type of traverse mechanism for providing a dwell in the transverse motion; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged illustration of one form of variable yarn.

In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawing, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not our intention to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

We have selected for illustration in the drawing, an arrangement in which two rovings 11 and 12 are drafted and blended. The two rovings may be assumed to be either of different fibers which take dye differently, or may be assumed to be of the same fibers which have previously been dyed in different colors. Rovings 11 and 12 are supplied from two packages, a package 13, and another not shown in the drawing. Rovings 11 and 12 are fed through eyes 15 and 16 respectively, in the traverse guide arms 17 and 18, to the nip of a pair of drafting back rolls 19 and 20, later to be described. From the nip of the back rolls 19 and 20, the rovings are drawn by conventional drafting mechanism, illustrated as comprising an apron 24 and a pair of front delivery rolls 27 and 28. On apron 24, the rovings pass under the carrier rolls 22 and 23. The rovings may be delivered from the front or delivery rolls 27 and 28 through eyelet 30 to a rotating spinning package 50, as shown, or to any other suitable packaging equipment.

In accordance with our present invention, back rolls 19 and 29 are cone shaped, preferably truncated, i.e., frusto-conical, as seen in the drawing. The large diameter end of one cone roll is in pressure contact with the large diameter end of the other, while the smaller diameter portions of the one cone roll are in pressure contact with the corresponding diameter portions of the other, as clearly illustrated in FIG. 5. Bottom cone roll 20 is preferably a knurled-face steel roll and is driven at constant speed by a drive shaft 21 to which the cone roll 20 is fixed. Top cone roll 19, which is preferably rubber covered, is rotated by pressure contact with bottom cone roll 20, the top roll 19 revolving about the stationary shaft 32.

Apron 24 is driven by roll 25 mounted on shaft 26. The carrier rolls 22 and 23 are supported by the apron 24. The bottom front delivery roll 28 is driven by drive shaft 29. The top front delivery roll 27 is driven by pressure contact with bottom roll 28. The front delivery rolls 27 and 28 are preferably rotated at a constant pe ripheral speed which is equal to or higher than the peripheral speed of the large diameter end of the cone back rolls 19 and 20. Thus, as the rovings 11 and 12 pass through the nip of the truncated cone back rolls 19 and 20, the amount of the draft to which each roving is subjected is dependent on the transverse position of the rov ing in the nip of the cone rolls, the draft being least when the roving is at the large diameter end and greatest when at the small diameter end.

ice

The front and back pairs of rolls 27, 28 and 19, 20, respectively, are weighted by a pressure system not shown.

The traverse mechanism for moving the rovings 11 and 12 back and forth along the nip of the truncated cone rolls 19 and may be any suitable means. In the drawing, the traverse mechanism is illustrated as comprising a pair of guides 17 and 18, one for each of the rovings 11 and 12. Guides 17 and 18 are affixed to horizontally disposed traversing bars 10 and 14 mounted for reciprocating horizontal movement in different horizontal planes, to permit each roving to pass by the other bar. In the drawing, guide 17 for roving 11 is shown affixed to an upper traversing bar 10 while guide 18 for roving 12 is shown affixed to a lower traversing bar 14.

In a typical drafting or spinning frame, traversing bars 10 and 14 are continuous for the length of the frame, and if the frame be double sided, are mounted on each side of the frame. Traversing bars 10 and 14 are guided in their horizontal paths by the grooves and 44, respectively, in the roll stand 48. Traversing bars 10 and 14 are pivotally connected at 33 and 34 to connecting rods 35 and 36, which in turn are pivotally connected on studs 37 and 38- mounted on disks 41 and 42. Disks 41 and 42 are fixed as by screws to the hub of sheave 43, preferably in such position that the studs 37 and 38 are 180 apart. Sheave 43 is mounted in fixed upright supports 39 which serve as bearings. The sheave 43 is shown driven by belt 45 connected to a driving sheave 4 6 driven by motor 47 through reduction gearing 49.

In operation, roving guides 17 and 18 are moved backand-forth in reciprocating fashion, preferably 180 out of phase with each other, by the reciprocating traversing arms 10 and 14, thereby causing the rovings to be moved back and forth along the nip of the truncated cone rolls 19 and 20 in corresponding 180 out-of-phase manner.

A5 indicated previously, the peripheral speed of the front delivery rolls 27 and 28 is at least equal to, and preferably higher than, that of the largest diametric portion of the truncated cone rolls 19 and 20, so that preferably each of the rovings 11 and 12 is drafted to some extent. It is by now clear that the amount of draft differs according to the position of the roving through the nip of the cone rolls, that the draft is greatest when the roving passes through the nip of the cone rolls at the small diameter end, as at point x in FIG. 5, and that the draft is least when the roving passes through the nip at the large diameter end, as at y. Thus, assuming both roving to be of equal fiber content prior to drafting, as the rovings pass back and forth in out-of-phase fashion through the cone rolls, the fiber content of the combined roving or yarn delivered from the delivery rolls 27 and 28 varies, the quantity of fibers contributed by one roving being different from that contributed by the other, except when the two rovings pas through the nip of the cone rolls at the same point.

The cone rolls 19 and 20 may preferably be of identical size. In a typical case, the large diameter may be two inches, and the small diameter may be one inch.

Except for the truncated cone back rolls, the drafting mechanism illustrated in the drawing is conventional. While a single apron system is illustrated, it will be understood that any suitable drafting system may be used, such. as a double apron system, or a system employing rolls with carriers.

It is apparent that many different effects may be obtained by controlling differently the traverse of the rovings in the nip of the truncated cone rolls 19 and 20. For example, if the rovings 11 and 12 are of the same weight and are traversed in similar but 180 out-of-phase fashion, one roving traversing from x to y (FIG. 5) while the other is traversing from y to x, the blend of the resultant yarn will vary from 62.5% to 37.5%. That is to say, when the first roving is at point x and the second roving is at point y, the resultant yarn will be composed of 62.5% of the first roving and 37.5% of the second roving,

and when the traverse mechanism reaches a point 180 out of phase with that just described, the percentages of the two rovings in the resultant yarn willl be reversed. A portion of such a resultant yarn is illustrated in enlarged form in FIG. 8, in which yarn is shown to consist of a black roving 111 and a white roving 112, each of which varies in thickness in complementary fashion, the black roving 111 becoming thicker as the white roving 112 becomes thinner, and the black roving becoming thinner as the white roving becomes thicker.

If both rovings are of the same fiber or blend of fibers, but the first roving has three times the weight of the second roving, and the same traverse is used as described above, the resultant yarn would be 12.5% over average weight when the first roving was traversed fully to the large diameter end y and the second roving was at the small diameter end x. Conversely, the resultant yarn would be only 87.5% of average weight when the rovings were reversed in position at the nip of the cone rolls.

Thus, it will be seen that it is readily possible, by means of the present invention, to combine rovings of different weight, one roving being of one fiber and the other of different fiber, so that variations of both size and composition of the resultant yarn are accomplished at the same time.

In addition to the above discussed variations, the tra versing may be varied in speed within wide limits. For any given speed of the back rolls 19 and 20, the faster the yarn is traversed, the more closely spaced will be the variations in the blend of the resultant yarn.

As a further variation, the traversing movement may be made intermittent with a dwell at a selected point or points. Assuming both rovings are given a dwell at the same time, the blend will be held constant during the dwell period. Also, one of the two rovings may be given a dwell while the other continue to traverse.

Mechanism for providing such dwell as mentioned above is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. There, the connecting arms and 136, corresponding respectively to arms 35 and 36 of FIGS. 2-4, are shown connected to cam rollers 137, 138 which ride in cam tracks or grooves 151 and 152 in disks 141 and 142, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7, the cam tracks 151 and 152 are shaped to provide a dwell for each of the connected arms 135 and 136, the dwell for one arm being concurrent with that for the other. It will be apparent that the cam tracks may be given other configurations to accomplish other variations in traverse movement.

For a given traverse and a given back roll speed, a definite pattern is produced. If it is desired to break up the pattern to secure a random effect without resorting to complicated methods of driving the traverse, one yarn may be drafted or spun with a given traverse, then a second yarn may be drafted or spun from the same rovings using a different traverse or a different speed of traverse which is not a simple multiple of the first traverse speed. These two yarns may be then twisted or plied together. Since in twisting, complete 100% control of each ply is seldom if ever achieved, and since the length of the repeat in each ply is dissimilar, a completely random effect is produced.

In addition to varying the traverse motion or the traverse speed, or in lieu thereof, variation in the resultant yarn may be achieved by using rovings of different weight, and the resultant yarn may be made both thick and thin and of varying blend by combining rovings that are both different in weight and also of different dyeing characteristics. Or, only a single roving may be used and the variable drafting means of the present invention employed to produce a roving which varies in thickness lengthwise of the roving or yarn.

Variegated or spaced color yarns may also be produced directly by using two rovings of the same or different fibers which have previously been dyed to different shades.

It will now be apparent that the variations which may readily be made in the resultant yarn along its length are indeed numerous.

It should be understood that while it has been said that the resultant yarn has variations in blend along its length, this is an overall effect. Actually, using two different rovings, there is only minor intimate mixing of the different fibers in each roving. Rather, the two rovings essentially lie side by side in spiral relationship with the twist imparted in spinning. In the single yarn, this produces a sort of barber pole effect, but the width or concentration of each band varies as the traverse varies.

It should also be understood that while FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a spinning frame, and while the cone-roll and traverse mechanism of the present invention is preferably used in spinning since this is the final drafting operation, the cone roll and traverse principle may also be used in a preliminary drafting operation. Thus, the rovings l1 and 12 on the spinning frame may be rovings which have already been processed by the cone roll-traverse principle of the present invention.

The preferred embodiments of this invention have been described in some detail. It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. In an apparatus for drafting textile rovings; a pair of cooperative cone-shaped back rolls adapted to be driven at constant speed and having a nip formed between surface portions of corresponding diameter; a pair of front delivery rolls adapted to be driven at constant speed such that their peripheral speed is equal to or greater than that of the cone back rolls at the large diameter end; and pre-set travel control means for directing a roving to different pro-selected transverse positions along the nip of said cone back rolls to cause said roving to be drafted different amounts between said cone roils and said delivery rolls according to the transverse position of said roving in the nip of said cone back rolls.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 characterized in that said pre-set travel control means for directing said roving comprises traverse means for moving said roving back and forth along the nip of said cone rolls in reciprocating manner.

3. In an apparatus for drafting textile roving; a pair of front delivery rolls; a pair of cooperative truncated cone back rolls having a nip formed between surface portions of corresponding diameter; means for driving said front and back rolls at such constant relative speeds that the peripheral speed of the front delivery rolls is equal to or greater than that of the back rolls at the large diameter end; and traverse means for directing each of two different rovings to and across the nip of said cone back rolls back-and-forth in out-of-phase relationship, thereby at a given time to cause one roving to be drafted a greater amount than the other except when both rovings pass through a common point on the nip of said cone back rolls.

4. In an apparatus for drafting textile rovings; a pair of front delivery rolls; a pair of cooperative frustoconical back rolls having a nip formed between surface portions of equal diameter; means for driving said front and back rolls at such constant relative speeds that the peripheral speed of the front delivery rolls is equal to or greater than that of the back rolls at the large diameter end; and traverse means for directing each of two different rovings to and across the nip of said cone back rolls in reciprocating manner with the motion of one roving 180 out of phase with that of the other thereby at a given time to cause one roving to be drafted a greater amount than the other except when both rovings are passing through a common point on the nip of said cone back rolls.

5. In an apparatus for drafting textile rovings; a pair of front delivery rolls; a pair of cooperative cone-shaped back rolls having a nip formed between surface portions of corresponding diameter; means for driving said front and back rolls at such constant relative speeds that the peripheral speed of the front delivery rolls is equal to or greater than that of the back rolls at the large diameter end; and traverse means, including dwell means, for directing each of two different rovings to and across the nip of said cone back rolls in interrupted back-and-forth out-of-phase manner, thereby at a given time to cause one roving to be drafted a greater amount than the other except when both rovings are passing through a common point on the nip of said cone back rolls.

6. In a textile drafting apparatus having a source of first roving and a source of second roving; a pair of front delivery rolls; a pair of frusto-conical back rolls so mounted that each is in surface contact with the other forming a nip therebetween, each of said cone rolls having its large diameter surface in contact with the large diameter surface of the other and its small diameter surface in contact with the small diameter surface of the other; means for driving said front and back rolls at such constant relative speeds that the peripheral speed of the front delivery rolls is equal to or greater than that of the back rolls at the large diameter end; and a pair of reciprocating guide means for directing said first and second rovings to, and moving said rovings transversely along, the nip of said cone back rolls in a back-and-forth motion, said first roving traversing from the large diameter end to the small diameter end of said cone rolls during the time that the second roving is traversing from the small diameter end to the large diameter end, thereby at a given time to effect a different amount of draft for said first roving than for said second except when both said rovings are passing through a common point at the nip of said cone rolls.

7. In a textile drafting apparatus, sources of first and second rovings of different character; a pair of front de livery rolls; a pair of truncated-cone back rolls so mounted that each is in surface contact with the other forming a nip therebetween, each of said cone rolls having its large diameter surface in contact with the large diameter surface of the other and its small diameter surface in contact with the small diameter surface of the other; means for driving said front and back rolls at such constant relative speeds that the peripheral speed of the front delivery rolls is equal to or greater than that of the back rolls at the large diameter end; and a pair of guide means for directing said first and second rovings to and moving said rovings transversely along the nip of said cone back rolls in back-and-forth out-of-phase motions, said first roving at a given time being subjected to either greater or lesser amounts of draft than said second roving except when both said rovings are passing through a common point at the nip of said cone rolls.

8. The method of drafting textile rovings comprising the steps of feeding a textile roving to and passing it through the nip of a pair of frusto-conical back rolls to the nip of a pair of cylindrical front delivery rolls, drafting said roving between said front and back rolls by rotating said front delivery rolls at a substantially constant peripheral speed equal to or higher than the substantially constant peripheral speed of the large diameter end of the frusto-conical back rolls, and moving said fed roving transversely relative to the nip of said frustoconical back rolls according to a pro-selected plan of travel to vary the draft according to the transverse position of said roving in the nip of said frusto-conical back rolls.

9. The method of drafting textile rovings comprising the steps of feeding a textile roving to and passing it through the nip of a pair of back rolls of varying diameter to the nip of a pair of cylindrical front delivery rolls, drafting said roving between said back and front rolls by rotating said front delivery rolls at a substantially constant peripheral speed equal to or higher than the substantially constant peripheral speed of the largest 7 diameter portion of the back rolls, and moving said fed roving transversely relative to the nip of said back rolls according to a pre-selected plan of travel to vary the draft according to the transverse position of said roving in the nip of said back rolls.

10. The method of drafting textile yarn comprising the steps of feeding two textile rovings to and passing them through the nip of a pair of frusto-conical back rolls to the nip of a pair of cylindrical front delivery rolls, drafting said rovings between said front and back rolls by rotating said front delivery rolls at a substantially constant peripheral speed equal to or higher than the substantially constant peripheral speed of the large diameter end of the frusto-conical back rolls, and moving said fed rovings transversely relative to the nip of said frustoconical back rolls in back-and-forth out-of-phase fashion to vary the draft according to the transverse position of the particular roving in the nip of said frusto-conical back rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 24,010 Crowell May 17, 1859 320,344 Fuyat June 16, 1885 1,898,085 Dreyfus et a1 Feb. 21, 1933 1,987,453 Thomas et al. Jan. 8, 1935 2,064,804 Lownes et al. Dec. 15, 1936 2,306,377 Bird et al. Dec. 29, 1942 2,792,931 Husung et al. May 21, 1957 3,019,593 Reid Feb. 6, 1962 3,035,404 Roscoe May 22, 1962 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR DRAFTING TEXTILE ROVINGS; A PAIR OF COOPERATIVE CONE-SHAPED BACK ROLLS ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN AT CONSTANT SPEED AND HAVING A NIP FORMED BETWEEN SURFACE PORTIONS OF CORRESPONDING DIAMETER; A PAIR OF FRONT DELIVERY ROLLS ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN AT CONSTANT SPEED SUCH THAT THEIR PERIPHERAL SPEED IS EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THAT OF THE CONE BACK ROLLS AT THE LARGE DIAMETER END; AND PRE-SET TRAVEL CONTROL MEANS FOR DIRECTING A ROVING TO DIFFERENT PRE-SELECTED TRANSVERSE POSITIONS ALONG THE NIP OF SAID CONE BACK ROLLS TO CAUSE SAID ROVING TO BE DRAFTED DIFFERENT AMOUNTS BETWEEN SAID CONE ROLLS AND 